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Mother’s Day Gift Guide 2013

From little luxuries to splurges—perfume to notecards, jewelry to furnishings—make her Mother’s Day memorable with these fab items chosen by our editors as gifts they’d love to give (or receive).

How could we start with anything other than our very own Traditional Home Editors’ Choice Arrangement Our Executive Editor Marsha Raisch—who oversees our Classic Woman Awards program that honors outstanding volunteers—loves it not only for its beauty and fragrance but also because a portion of the proceeds go to CARE, which works with mothers and children to find lasting solutions to poverty. With 14 stems of peach roses, peach Asiatic lilies, white hydrangeas, and Queen Anne’s lace, it is priced at $79.99.

Senior Art and Antiques Editor Doris Athineos’s good eye is evident in her choice of this Knotted Necklace, $90, from Alabama Chanin. Made from organic cotton, it’s knotted by hand and slipped through a sterling silver charm.

Having recently gone to Paris, our Senior Architecture Editor, Amy Elbert is enamored with anything French. She has a weakness for little dishes, and would enjoy serving treats on these sweet French Dessert Dishes from European Market—two say “amour,” two say “amite”—for $95.

If your mom is a livewire (like Assistant Style Editor Clara Haneberg’s is), get her day off to an energetic and stylish start with this emphatically green Bistro Electric French Press coffeemaker, $60. (It also comes in white, green, and black.)

Slideshow Producer Lucy Fitzgerald tried Tcho chocolates when in Napa Valley with her mom and sis for a girls’ trip. “They're made from the best natural resources in Africa and South America, and the company works hard to maintain a close relationship with their farmers. Not only is the chocolate delicious, innovative, and ethically conscious, but they remind me of the fun memories we share from our wine country weekend,” Lucy says. She recommends the Spring Magnolia Gift Tub with insanely rich dark chocolate bars, $29.95.

She’ll love sipping morning brew or afternoon tea out of these English Songbird Mugs, $85 for a set of four from European Market. They were selected by Features Editor Rebecca Christian, who likes to watch birds. Made of English bone china, they are dishwasher and microwave safe.

Get mom ready for her Mother’s Day close-up in Petra’s Derby Hat, selected by Research Editor Jan Currie for its swoops and curves that change with every angle and its romantic silk and velvet cabbage rose, $360 from J. Peterman.

Senior Design and Markets Editor Tori Mellott (mother of twins!) loves a little luxury, so she’d be thrilled to receive ultra-luxurious monogrammed letterpressed notecards made with paper from one of the oldest mills in Italy. From Taigan, $1,164 .

Assistant Style Editor Clara Haneberg chose a J. Crew Farmer’s Market Tote, that would have looked as great in 1953 as it does in 2013 and will in 2063. She says, “This lightweight straw tote has plenty of storage space for stashing coupons, to-do lists, makeup, and everything else my busy mom might need!”

When Research Editor Jan Currie’s son, Drew, was in middle school, he became interested in stones, and Jan along with him. For Drew it was a passing fancy, for Jan the love of her life. She likes the interesting pattern of this Rock N’ Rolla Careless Whisper Lamp Finial by Hillary Thomas Designs through Layla Grayce, $50. Are you paying attention, Drew?

Markets Assistant Mimi Faucett recommends this sleek Parrot DIA Digital Frame, which stores up to 1,500 pictures, for helping mom organize her precious memories. “Typically,” Mimi says, “digital frames have to be connected to a camera or memory card in order to display images. This one is amazing because my photos can wirelessly display on the frame no matter where I am or what device I use. Great for a New York City gal like myself to keep my Mississippi mama in the loop.” Photos can be transferred via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth enabled device, USB, SD/MMC card slot, and integrated online services (Frame Channel, Frame It, and Mobile Me). $499 from the Museum of Modern Art.

Features Editor Rebecca Christian always feels protected when wearing a piece of jewelry that was her mother’s or grandmother’s, so she loved learning that the genesis of Carolyn O’Keefe’s American Estate Jewelry company was Carolyn’s memory of her mother always wearing very little jewelry except her great-grandmother’s signature cuff. Cherry Blossom Cuff with Pink Tourmalines, $780.

“After a few trips to London,” Markets and Social Media Editor Kari Costas says, “my mother has become a fan of English Breakfast tea. This copper kettle, is classic, timeless, and cheerful (it “sings” instead of whistling!), an heirloom that she might be tempted to pass onto her daughter someday! $165 from Sur La Table.

Our Markets Assistant Mimi Faucett says of the model and muse’s new book , “Grace Coddington’s memoir, is not only filled with colorful insight into her work as Creative Director for Vogue, but also each page is laced with charming illustrations by Grace herself. And it’ll look great on mom’s coffee table!” $20 (Random House, 2013).

“I bought this Redwoods Cologne, $48, for my mother because she loves natural, earthy musks like patchouli and pine,” says Slideshow Producer Lucy Fitzgerald, “which are more common in men's cologne. She adores the fresh aroma, and uses it to spritz the bed linens or an outfit for a light fragrance that is a bit out-of-the-box.”

Senior Art and Antiques Editor Doris Athineos loves metalsmith Elizabeth Thompson’s fresh, edgy take on a royal theme—crowns—in this Crown Ring, from $175. Doris notes that Elizabeth named her studio after her grandmother, Elizabeth Knight.

Because her mother has perfect penmanship and loves sending and receiving pretty cards, Features Editor Rebecca Christian is sure to please her with the handsome and instructive new book Mastering Calligraphy: The Complete Guide to Hand Lettering, by Gaye Godfrey-Nicholls (Chronicle Books, 2013) $38.

Assistant Style Editor Clara Haneberg is a pro at the art of accessorizing. She learned at the elbow (make that wrist) of a master, her mom, whom she thinks would love this bold Sage Cuff from Voguevert, made of reclaimed metal with gold patina, $209.

Senior Architecture Editor Amy Elbert was recently snapped on the street by a style blogger, and we can see why. She inherited her fashion sense from her late mom, Frances Craig, a feature writer who lit up the newsroom with her style. Amy, who likes orange, would love to receive this German Summer Flowers Scarf from European Market, $125, modal, linen and silk. Its 29 by 80-inch size permits mom to drape it around her shoulders or tie it around her waist.

Don’t you love those spring showers that the sun shines through? Research Editor Jan Currie selected these sprightly, intricately patterned Spring Boots to help mom get ready for puddle-jumping with the kids. $59 from J. Peterman.

“My sister is a working mom with two very, very energetic toddlers,” says Markets and Social Media Editor Kari Costas, “and so she rarely has time to pamper herself. I’d treat her to a day at the spa and send her home with these Claus Porto soaps, which are beyond luxurious and creamy, and, when not in use, would look lovely sitting on her marble vanity.” $55 from Claus Porto.

Because her mother enjoys using fragrances throughout her home, Editorial Office Coordinator Kim Callahan thinks The des Lords Scented Candle with its elegant blend of bergamot and delicate citrus notes, is sure to please. It’s one in a collection of tea-scented candles made by the Parisian tea specialist Le Palais des Thes, $45.

Markets Assistant Mimi Faucett selected this terra-cotta Sintra bowl. She says, “This bowl is huge in person and the color is perfect for spring. Mom’s always creating centerpieces on the table and uses anything and everything—fruit, veggies, and flowers in trays, stands, and bowls. This one is sure to make a statement on the table.” $114, from Canvas.

This Olive Plant Topiary from Viva Terra, $49, is on Senior Architecture Editor Amy Elbert’s wish list: “I’m enchanted with topiaries and this one is darling in its little jug planter. It would be perfect in the sunny east-facing window in my mudroom. (I hope the cats won’t nibble it!).”

Assistant Style Editor Clara Haneberg, always game to take a spin on the color wheel, chose this Kate Spade Pop Art Scarf for her mom “because it would look great paired with her hot pink kitten heels.” Kate Spade, $128.

Features Editor Rebecca Christian so much loves Penny Vincenzi’s sweeping, overwrought, and very British trilogy—which follows the fictional Lytton publishing family dynasty from the Edwardian age to the sixties—that she’s given it both to her mom and daughter, who blame her for resultant sleepless nights. The first book in the trilogy is No Angel, the second is Something Dangerous and the third is Into Temptation. $15 in paperback from Amazon.com.

Remember all those thank-you notes Mom made you write? Help her keep the art of letter writing alive with these personalized Chinoiserie Foldover Notecards, selected by Features Editor Rebecca Christian, who saves letters just for the pleasure of seeing something written in a loved one’s hand. 25 for $52.99 from Paper Fancy.

Markets and Social Media Editor Kari Costas says, “My mother and I share an addiction to organizers and planners; so for Christmas last year I gave her a Smythson datebook, and it’s been practically glued to her side. In fact, I think she still carries it around, because in addition to the calendar, there are tons of maps, information, and fun little tidbits inside. For Mother’s Day, I’d get her this upgraded version, the Soho Diary with Slide, with a glossy crocodile print in a rich blue hue, and get it stamped with her initials.” $390 from Smythson.

There’s nothing Senior Style Editor Krissa Rossbund’s mother loves more than gathering the extended family for a convivial meal. These Vela Candlesticks from Rablabs will cast a glow. Hand-polished to bring out the natural beauty of the stone, no two are alike. $128 per pair.

Our Senior Architecture Editor Amy Elbert knows her way around a kitchen, having written about dozens of them for us. She loves a fun kitchen accessory, and has treated her sister to this colorful, whimsical and absorbent British Tweet Towel from European Market, $16.

Every year we offer a new Classic Woman Rose as a tribute to the outstanding women we honor for their volunteerism in our Classic Woman Awards program. This one is an apricot hybrid tea rose with large blooms and great fragrance, $29.99, from White Flower Farm.